


Elementals

by multi_phan



Category: DanPlan, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Alternative Universe - Kingdom, F/M, Freeform, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, im so sorry, this is a mess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:48:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21544030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/multi_phan/pseuds/multi_phan
Summary: Though elementals and humans never really got along, when the stone hearted king married his etheral queen, they managed to live in harmony for twenty years. The Kingdom and Groles flourished and was a mostly peaceful place.Until it wasn't.Daniel, the crown prince of his Kingdom, was always more like his mother. After elementals are decreed dangerous by his own greif stricken father, he feels isolated in his palace and befriends Jay and Stephen from sneaking out. On one of their outings, he causes chaos at Hosuh's exectuion and from there...Well, he certainly can't go back to the palace.--ON HOLD UNITIL THIS WHOLE THING BLOWS OVER. REMINDER!! DON'T ATTACK DAN!! WE DON'T KNOW HIS SIDE THX
Relationships: Jay Ko & Hosuh Lee & Daniel Lim & Stephen Ng, Possible Hosuh Lee/Stephen Ng, Possible Jay Ko/Daniel Lim
Comments: 39
Kudos: 150





	1. Chapter 1

Daniel was nine when he first discovered his abilities. 

Living in his father’s huge castle led to him being bored often as a child, especially since there were no other kids his age. His servants were often afraid to talk or play with him, due to his father’s temperamental nature. 

Dan was nothing like his father though; he took after his mother. He had her vibrant green hair, her willingness to help anyone, and most peculiarly, her powers. 

His mother’s garden was once a lush paradise, with fruit trees and vines and flowers galore. Birdsong created a symphony that pleased the ears and the cacophony of colours made it seem ethereal, much like it’s caretaker. 

It was here that Dan discovered his ability to control the earth. 

When his mother witnessed him revitalise a wilting plant, his eyes clenched in concentration and his hands glowing as green as his hair, the whole garden seemed to glow as she picked him up and whirled him around the garden, her laugh ringing through the whole acre of land. She then taught him how to control and use his powers often. She also taught him songs in a language he barely understood. The garden became theirs. His father never cared for powers, and his mother never told him about Daniel’s. Whenever asked, her eyes glazed over and her voice grew dark. 

“That’s of little importance. Your father… doesn’t understand what we have.”. She would then smile and say: 

“It’s just you and me, that’s the plan, Dan!” And that was that. It was their little secret, something between them alone. 

That is, until his mother grew ill. 

Dan saw less and less of her and saw the garden slowly dim and decay. His magic was not yet powerful enough to grow it back. He spent hours by himself, saving what few plants he could. His tears did nothing to help the soil, and over the three years his efforts achieved less and less. 

The whole kingdom mourned the death of the queen; the unearthly woman who cracked the king’s stone cold heart and bore him an heir. And no one mourned more than the said king himself. Weeks after, the kingdom began to see change. More laws were put in place, more people became afraid of the king as he became harsher and harsher. 

It was his a few days after Dan’s twelfth birthday when the first execution happened. A fire woman has caught her home alight when she found another woman in her bed with her husband. Only she survived due to her fire resistance, but not for long after she was captured. It was then that the king decided elemntals were dangerous. His wife was the only thing stopping from imposing the laws his grandfather had established, and now that she was gone… 

The elementals of the Kingdom of Groles had twenty years of freedom before they were rounded up and executed once more. Those who lived in hiding before had to do so again, and unsuccessful victims were rounded up and publicly executed. It didn’t matter whether they were children or elderly; they all shared the same fate. The king, in his grief, simply did not care. 

It was then that Dan understood what his mother meant. He suddenly felt isolated in this large castle of his. His father refused to see him, seeing him as a painful reminder of his mother. He was 13 years old when he first snuck out. 

It was on his second trip that he met Stephen, and his fourth when he was introduced to Jay. They soon became friends and Dan soon spent more time with them than he did in his own home. 

Stephen tried to ask where he was from, Dan would just shrug and quickly change the subject to Stepehn not being able to reach the lake quicker than he could. That did the trick. 

It was after two weeks that he learned that Jay and Stephen were both elementals. They were playing in a forest near the outskirts of town when Dan got lost in the darkness. He screamed for Jay and Stephen, but couldn’t hear them. After what seemed to be hours, he saw a light on one side of the forest. Without hesitation, he ran towards it. 

“Jay! we’re going to get caught! Put your fucking fire away-” 

“And what? Leave Dan out here all alone? I may be a sociopath, but I’m not heartles-” 

They both gaped at Dan when he burst from the leaves, panting and on the verge of tears. He gaped back when he saw Jay’s hand. It was on fire. _Jay’s hand was on fire._

“Well dicks Jay. Look what you did.” 

“Well _dicks_? Stephen- what kind of insult is that?!” 

“I don’t know! I’m stressed! I don’t want to die!” With that, Stephen’s hands also caught on fire, further agitating him and Jay. 

Daniel quickly yelled “ENOUGH!”, which was enough to silence the two bickering boys before the forest caught on fire. He raised his glowing hand and let a weed on the ground grow a flower before his power ran out. The two stood there with their mouths hanging open, rendered speechless. 

He raised his head and chuckled. “Sorry guys, my stamina’s not great. I’m out of practice” and almost collapsed to the floor. They helped him up, and Dan, in his delirious state, proceeded to tell them everything. From his status to his mother to his own powers. Stehen then told Daniel about how both his parents had been executed, and how he was rescued by Jay’s mom, who owned a shelter of sorts for elemental kids. Being a chemist, she was able to produce a drug that disabled kids from using their powers for a few hours so they wouldn’t get caught when they went out. Jay simply sat in silence, not having much else to add to the conversation. 

Even though Dan was the crown prince, they had enough dirt on him now to completely destroy the kingdom, with him sneaking out and his powers. It didn’t stop Jay from worrying about his mother though. Daniel swore not to tell a single soul, and they all swore not to mention anything about him being the crown prince and whatnot. Jay was still suspicious, but Stephen yawned before he could say anything more. They all headed home after that. 

Daniel came home to the familiar silence of his room, and found it hard to sleep that night. He wasn’t aware that it would be his last. 

The next day, he and the two fire elementals were out in the market when they spotted a crowd gathering by the execution post. What looked like a short teen with a cloth bag over his head was being led onto the podium by a guard, shaking as he was tied to the post. Jay and Stephen immediately scowled and tried to walk away, but Dan was rooted in the spot. He had never witnessed an execution before. 

“Daniel, come on. Let’s go” hissed Stephen, just as the bag was torn off the elemental’s head. Dan gasped. 

The prisoner looked like he was Dan’s age, his short stature and pre-pubescent facial features apparent. His disheveled silver hair was shoulder length, matted and dry from neglect. His sky blue eyes were filled with tears as he scanned the crowd in a panicked manner, looking for something or someone. Perhaps a saving grace? 

The same guard who led him to the podium spoke, his voice booming across the square. 

“You are here to witness the execution of Hosuh Lee. Age 13. A water elemental. He was discovered taking water out of his neighbours’ water tank to entertain children. He had them surrounded, vulnerable if he chose to drown them at any second. To think! How are we allowing these types around children?! These elements are poisoning our youth with promises of magic and adventure! We all know what dangers these scum cab bring. These individuals should be punished!” 

The last word of his speech rang across the square, with the crowd jeering and booing at Hosuh. His eyes were still darting around the crowd, more and more tears welling in his eyes as he grew more and more desperate. Daniel cast a glance at Stephen and Jay; they had tears in their eyes too. Dan could only imagine who they had seen at a post too. Who they had seen die in front of their eyes? 

Hosuh’s eyes landed on Dan’s, and they made eye contact for a second. He pleaded without words, the fear speaking for itself. And Daniel? 

He probably would have benefitted from some more emotion control. 

A nearby tree’s branch suddenly slammed into podium, crushing the guard and the podium in the process. Bewildered, Hosuh tried to free himself, but enough of the podium was still intact to keep him trapped. Dan was brought back to reality by a hushed “shit” from Jay and the tree suddenly setting on fire. Civilians ran wild and chaos erupted. Dan panicked as he failed to spot Stephen, but then saw him with a cloak (where did he get that??) freeing Hosuh. Jay was still subtly setting more things on fire to keep everyone distracted, and Dan stood there, frozen with fear. 

The dying guard lifted his head and saw the crown prince standing completely still in the middle of a swarming crowd, his hands growing as green as his hair. So it was him. Trembling, he lifted his hand and used his final breath to scream: 

“PRINCE!” 

It captured the attention of a few - no, too many - people, and Dan felt his legs move on their own. He ran and ran and ran. He ran blindly until he saw Jay running in the alley across him, and then he ran with Jay into the same forest they had played the night before. 

They stopped deep within, panting, as Jay turned to Dan, who was swaying. 

“What the hell were you thinking?” yelled Jay, his eyes wild with fury. It was only then Dan realised one was red and one was orange. 

Dan retaliated with a shout just as loud “What was I supposed to do? You saw his face Jay. It’s ridiculous!” before he slumped to the floor, vision swimming. He had never used this much energy before. 

Jay just sighed and turned away from Daniel. They stayed in silence for a few minutes before Jay spoke again. 

“I suppose you’re a criminal now, huh?” There was a hint of a smile in his voice.

“Yeah”, replied Dan, a grin forming, which then quickly disappeared. “Ah shit, now I can’t go back to the castle.

“I suppose you could come join us?” Jay suggested without any hesitation, looking back at Dan with softer eyes. He extended his hand to Dan and then added with a teasing tone: “We are a shelter for elemental kids anyways, so I suppose-”

Jay was cut off with a hug from Dan, his mocking expression flashing from confusion to something much softer. He took Dan’s hand and lead him to his house.

And that’s when Dan’s life really began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well.... there is it
> 
> Thanks so much for reading this mess of a chatper. If people like it, I'll continue! This is my first even DanPlan fanfic and second fanfiction ever, so please feel free to give feedback, it would be very much appreciated and ask any questions you may have :))) This is quite a short chapter - I promise as I get better they'll get longer.
> 
> Next chapter will probably come out in a week or so (I'm still deciding on perspective and all). Until then!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jay wasn't sure what to make of what just happened.
> 
> He promised his mother that we would never intervene or get involved in something that was none of his buisness. And then the ex-prince comes in and grabs that promise and shatters it. Should he be happy? Upset? Enlightened? Who knows.
> 
> Maybe it is is buisness after all. Maybe it's not. But he's sure as hell glad that the kid is alive, he supposes.

Jay led Dan through the forest, keeping a firm hand on his as he guided him through the twists and brambles. They walked in a comfortable silence, Dan keeping his head down, brows drawn together in thought. Jay knew he had noticed his heterochromia, which means his pill must be wearing off.

Must be the same with Stephen, then.

He had many questions for the princ- runaway. Did his father know? How did he get out of the castle? Is he sure about this?

But most of all: is he ok?

He was worried about Dan. Sure, he didn’t trust him completely yet, but the poor boy had just lost everything he’d ever known, and has to deal with powers he’s been suppressing for a year. He wondered if he could train him, maybe he would be a great asset to-

Jat shook his head, grimacing slightly at the thought. He knew his mother would forbid the idea and might even kick Daniel out if she saw them practicing. He loved her, he really did, but her method of keeping people safe was hiding. Jay was a fighter, but so far it had served them well, so he never spoke out to his mother about it. He didn’t want anything to change; they had done so much already. It would be a waste to ruin all her efforts because he was getting a bit bored of it all.

He smirked as he turned to Daniel, who was looking at him. Jay cocked his head to the side and chuckled.

“Like what you see?” he asked slyly, taking too much pleasure from Dan’s flushed face.

“No! I mean- ugh nevermind. I was just wondering… fudge this is going to sound awkward.” Dan’s eyes flickered from his hands to Jay’s eyes.

“My eyes?” he asked. Dan nodded, some tension from his shoulders releasing. “Oh, it comes with my power. Like how you have green hair, I have different coloured eyes. It’s more rare. It’s also a lot less easy to conceal, since with all that dye that people are using people’s hair can be all colours at this point.” Jay explained. Dan nodded with understanding.

“So how come it wasn’t like that before?” he asked, his own green eyes reflecting his curiosity. Jay laughed and cuffed Dan’s mop of green hair, which earned him a glare.

“Didn’t you listen last night? My mother’s pills can dull people’s powers, which somehow takes away their hair or eye colour and makes it more natural. This lump of mess you call hair? Probably would become more brown or something. I dunno”. Jay shrugged as Dan’s eyes sparkled with interest. Sue Jay for thinking it was a little cute!

Finally, he began to see the pile of leaves that disguised the hideout. He let go of Dan’s hand, feeling the warmth leave his hand as he stepped forward to the pile. He began to dance in front of the leaves, arms flailing and squawking like there was no tomorrow.

Daniel watched in confusion, struggling to stifle a laugh that threatened to escape. Jay looked ridiculous. He laughed harder as Jay began to roll in the leaves, his own laughter mixing in with the ridiculous squawks he was making. Jay then sat up and grinned at Dan.

“Thought you needed a mood boost after all that.” he commented, still smiling. Dan gratefully smirked at him. He was not prepared for Jay all of a sudden appearing right in front of him, hand grasping his shirt and a deadly expression on his face.

“What I am about to show you, you cannot show anyone, alright? After you enter this household, you can never **ever** leave. I have trusted you thus far, but do not be fooled. I will not hesitate to turn you to ash if you do not comply.” The sudden shift in mood startled Daniel into silence as Jay walked away, brushing away the leaves and revealing a trap door. Against his better judgement, Dan followed him down into the rabbit hole, noticing how the trap door fell of its own accord. He could still hear the leaves reanagring themselves as he followed Jay down the narrow tunnel. 

\---

As Hosuh ran, he couldn’t believe that only a few minutes earlier, he was completely convinced he was going to die. In his mind, he was still replaying that moment on the post, before it all went to shit. 

His hand stung from his cut as the guard roughly tied him to the post and his head was pounding with the lack of sleep. He couldn’t see through the thick, almost suffocating bag they had tied around his head, but the tears blurred his vision rendered it almost useless anyways.

_He didn’t want to die._

His mother told him to never be afraid of who he was. As a proud mother to TWO elemental children, she raised her son for the 13 years of his life to never be ashamed of who he was. His father was an elemental, but was always more conscious about Hosuh’s natural ability. He had witnessed the horrors of the executions in the previous era, and now they had come and returned. Luckily, being the paranoid man he was, Hosuh’s father was never open about his or his family’s abilities even during the free days, sparing them prosecution. 

Hosuh hadn’t meant to make the children feel ‘surrounded, vulnerable’. He had just wanted to entertain them. He just wanted to cheer them up, you see. He noticed a group of children on his street, sitting on the curb and pouting. He frowned and approached them.

“Hello?” he asked, catching the attention of one of the kids. The boy had scowled at him, demanding he go away because he was upset?

“What’s wrong? Why are you upset?” enquired Hosuh, getting a little flushed after the boy simply glared at him again with all his friends. Had he upset them? He was never really good at this. Hosuh wasn’t the social sort, you see, and only really expressed himself through-

 _’That’s it!’_ he though, and with a soft smirk let his hands glow blue as his neighbour’s water tank’s lid lifted as a stream of water peeked out into the world. Hesitant at first, it sneaked out, levitating in the air and approaching the children, but slowly began to speed up. The water leapt and flew, pranced and twirled and circled the suddenly very excited children. 

Hosuh beamed as the water danced around the children, letting himself completely immerse himself in his art. With bigger hand gestures, the water made shapes and moved more vividly. Every now again, he would loosen his control, hearing the gaps as the water control and the shrieks of joy when he caught it back again. Even the boy who was unpleasant grinned up at the spectacle. 

Like a master, he effortlessly flaunted his power that his mother had been so proud of. Why was it his father would never let him use it unless he was in the house? What harm could come to him now? He was the happiest he had ever been, completely and utterly-

Shrieks filled the air, but not because the water had been caught up again, but rather because the elemental had just been knocked unconscious and the kids had suddenly gotten very drenched as he was roughly dragged away.

He awoke in a cell, he was told he would be hung, he had pleaded and cried, and then he was on the post. He heard the guard insult and taunt him and the crowd boo him. As soon as the bag was ripped off his head, he began to scan the crowd. For his parents, for anyone who would help.

He began to choke on his tears when he realised he couldn’t see any of them, not even his younger sister.

His pale sapphire blue eyes suddenly met emerald ones and fear mixed with terror. He was shaking, he realised, and sent a silent plea to the one person in the crowd who wasn’t shouting curses. Their eyes made no sign of response, their face just as frozen with emotion as his.

He should have listened to his dad. He should have been more careful. That kid's harsh nature was a sign, dammit! The universe was trying to tell him to be careful. And look where that got him.

It was then that the tree crashed into the podium.

Housh was thrown to the side, crying out as a sharp pain filled his head. His vision swam as he tried to get out of his restraints, but he still couldn’t. He began to sob. _Come ON!_

“Hey, you need a hand?”

Hosuh’s eyes flashed with fear as a cloaked boy his age with a mohawk suddenly slashed at his restaurants with a knife. A bit of the knife hit his skin, and he winced in pain. The other boy’s face determined expression suddenly melted into one full of concern, but before he could say anything the tree that had fallen into the podium set on fire and Hosuh was being dragged away by the strange cloaked boy, one hand on him and the other nealty tucking the blade neatly into a hilt on his belt. 

“I’m Stephen” the boy breathed out as he ran, not even glancing back at Hosuh.

“...Hosuh” he replied, and they didn’t say a word to each other until they reached the same trapdoor Jay and Dan had yet to get to.

\---

Dan slowly exhaled a breath he didn’t know he was holding when he and Jay excited the hole. Though not claustrophobic, Dan was a little uncomfortable in small spaces, especially with a boy who had suddenly threatened his life after being friends with him for two weeks. _’Wow’_ he thought, _’have I really known them only that long?_. He began to seriously doubt his life choices.

It had taken them only 10 minutes or so to reach the clearing, though the path had many turns and forks that Dan couldn’t comprehend the distance they had travelled. He almost left

The large house stood in the centre of a large clearing in the forest that was covered by twisted branches. The trees here seemed to tower over everything; their shadows cast dark shadows over the house. From above, it would look like there was simply nothing but thick foliage. 

Dan noticed a particularly bright light burning on the second floor as he and Jay approached the house. It stood half the height of Dan’s palace, but it was impressive nonetheless. As Dan got closer, he realised that it wasn’t made of brick and cement as he had initially thought. It was made of stones melded together with a few vines holding them together. It made him wonder about it’s stability.

When he and Jay opened the front door, they were greeted with a large living room, which was a lot better furnished than Dan had thought. The carpets were lush and the sofas and tables seemed in pristine condition. The living room took up the entire floor, with ascending and descending stairs on the far wall. It looked very well kept. It was probably owed to the maybe 10 teenagers and children, some of which were cleaning and doing chores, that stopped and stared at the two newcomers. Dan specifically.

A loud voice boomed from the upstairs as a shadow emerged from the upper floor, and all the staring children immediately went back to work. Whoever Jay’s mom was, she ran a tight ship.

Despite her large voice, the woman who descended the stairs was not as large as Dan thought she would be. Her unruly brown hair flowed from her head and cascaded down her back, covering the back of her neat shirt. Her long legs were completely covered covered by trousers, which Dan though unusual. He never saw any maidens in the castle wear pants. Only the highest rank of scientist were able to.

Her striking beautiful face was almost overshadowed by her large, thick glasses that magnify her blood red eyes. Dan saw the resemblance between her and Jay. They seem pleasant enough, but they look intimidating enough to know that they should not be toyed with. 

“Welcome, Daniel” she greeted him, her voice quite high-pitched. Dan’s head snapped up at the mention of his own name, confusion evident on his face.

“Oh, don’t worry, Stephen told me you’d be coming.” she reassured. Turning to Jay, her voice became somewhat mocking as she said “Who arrived much MUCH earlier than you did, Jay. I thought you always said you were faster?”. Her smirk and Jay’s deadpan face was enough to make Dan chuckle, which made Jay’s mother’s smile grow wider. She walked over to him and extended a hand.

“I’m Mary, lovely to meet you, your highness” Mary bowed and Dan laughed more. She motioned for Jay to go upstairs, and Dan followed him. They turned to that room that Dan saw had the light in. Jay flung open the door and found Stephen and Hosuh sitting together near the fire. They were in a bedroom of sorts. They were silent until the door was flung open, to which Stephen jumped up in front of Hosuh and Hosuh shuffled further away from the door to the fire, away from the noise.

After the two realised who had just come in, they relaxed. Stephen smiled as he sauntered over to Jay, throwing an arm around him in the process.

“Damn!” he said “I thought you’d never make it! Did princey here slow you down?” asked Stephen, yelping as Dan threw a pillow from a chair near the door. 

“God Daniel, your aim is garbage!” Stephen laughed as Dan attempted to throw another pillow at the now purple-haired boy, who was giggling hysterically as he dodged yet another pillow. Dan bellowed in fake rage, but his cry was cut short as Stephen was suddenly whacked across the face by Jay. 

“Jay! My own elemental kin! How could you?” Stephen wailed, placing a hand on his forehead and pretending to faint. He was probably expecting Dan to catch him, but he stepped aside and let Stephen fall, which led to a multitude of colorful words to fly from his mouth.

Hosuh watched all this in silent amusement. Jay noticed the quiet boy and went sat beside him as the other two bickered. Hosuh watched Jay hesitantly as he sat and turned to face him.

“There’s no need to be scared of me, or us, you know.” Jay said as reassuring as he could, placing a hand on Hosuh's shoulder. When Hosuh flinched from the contact, he immediately removed it, sending him an apologetic smile. Hosuh looked away, but didn’t seem as scared as before. 

“Thank you… for rescuing me” Housh said quietly, still refusing to meet Jay’s eyes. Jay’s smile fell as he suddenly found the painting on the other side of the wall a lot more interesting. How could he tell him that he wasn’t going to, that he was going to leave Housh to get stabbed at that post? That he had done the exact same to so many other elemental kids because he was told not to interfere? He didn’t have the heart.

So instead he looked to Daniel, who did the complete opposite of that. Daniel, who had gone against his own father by existing and who had saved the life of Hosuh Lee. Daniel, who without realising it, triggered something in him.

Maybe he couldn’t start a revolution, but he could do more. He **would** do more. He had to. 

He was brought back to his senses by a soft sigh from Hosuh, who was still watching the two idiots in front of them wrestle. Dan had tried to use the desk plant to pin Stephen to the desk, but the pyromaniac set fire to it quickly. He obviously hadn’t thought it through, as it killed the plant immediately, which made Daniel gasp in horror. _Stupid_.

“Reminds me of me and my sister” commented Hosuh, who captured the attention of everyone in the room. All eyes were on the silver haired boy as a single tear slid down his cheek. Stephen swiftly walked away from Dan and put his hand on Hosuh’s shoulder. Dan was rooted to the spot, but sent a soft smile Hosuh’s way.

Housh didn’t seem to register any of this however, as more tears rolled down his face.

“Her name’s Ann. I just hope she's smarter than I am.” he took a shaky breath, finally looking up at Stephen "Her life depends on it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here we go. Another installment in this confusing story I write for fun. I hope you guys like it???? Personally I think it could be better but I did saw new chapter by today so here we are! I LIKE WRITING HOSUH MY BEAN!!! Yeah I really hope this is ok. Otherwise I'll just rewrite it. I'm still experimenting with P.O.V, so some feedback and tips would be so greatly appreciated :)))
> 
> Next chapter is a bit less intense. We get some house-of-the-elementals life because our boys need a break, don't you think?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life at Mary's was... different to say the least. Dan was still getting used to not being treated like a prince. Hosuh was scared for Ann, convincing himself that she was ok. He had to keep it together. THEY had to keep it together. 
> 
> After all, what else could they do?

Stephen awoke to the sound of birds, the rustling of the trees and fire cracklin-

_Wait, WHAT?!_

He immediately sat up- not in his bed? His chest heaving, he served the room, panicking as his eyes darted around the room. Slowly, he began to relax as he took in the familiar scene. After hearing about Hosuh’s sister, the boys weren’t really in the mood to talk for much longer. The crying boy they had just rescued seemed to touch their hearts, and Stephen knew in that moment that each and every one of them swore on their lives they would protect him. And each other, for that matter.

And that is how they ended up all curled up on the floor of the room they were in before, Dan sleeping like a log with Jay lying unceremoniously on top of his stomach. Stephen was actually lying next to Dan, his head resting on his shoulder, and Hosuh was on Stephen’s chest.

When Stephen say up abruptly after hearing _his own fire that was somehow still alight_ , Hosuh’s head had rolled off his chest and onto the floor. Surprisingly, he didn’t wake up and assumed a new position, his arms tucked under his head. Stephen gazed down at the boy curiously, wondering how much he had slept recently. It couldn’t have been much; he had heard many rumors of the horrors that the elementals endured before they were executed. Stephen sighed, grateful that we had managed to escape that. 

He looked out to see that dawn was just breaking over the tree coverage (he lived here enough years to tell even the slightest of light in the foliage as it was never really much due to its thickness). Sighing, he got up and carefully avoiding the other three, stepped out of the room. There was no point going back to sleep.

\---

Dan sat with Jay and Hosuh at the breakfast table, staring down at his already empty plate. Being a prince, he has accumulated a huge appetite; the servings weren’t necessarily meager! He was still hungry, and it was evident on his grimace as he kept looking down at his plate. 

He looked over at Jay and Hosuh, who were joking around with a boy he had never met before. He briefly remembered hearing his name - Jo, was it? - when Jay introduced him earlier on at breakfast, but admittedly he had been focused on cramming as much of the bacon and eggs he could into his mouth at said time. He was regretting it, as he was still hungry AND had a stomach ache. Just his luck, huh?

He felt a rush of wind blow in his face as he looked up from his plate to see Jo, Jay and Hosuh sniggering at him, which Jo’s hand slightly raised above the table. So he was a wind elemental. Dan blinked a couple of times then glared at the three offending members, Housh seated next to him and Jay and Jo on the other side of the table.  
“For a prince, you sure do have terrible manners” joked Jay “Jo here was trying to grab your attention.” Jay’s eyes widened in faux shock, his heterochromia clearly showing as he said “if that pleases your highness, of course!”, which Jo and Housh burst out laughing at.

Dan smiled then huffed, playing along. 

“You DARE talk to me like that?!” his voice thundered, eliciting a louder laugh from Hosuh and Jo and a sly smile from Jay and even some odd stares from the children around them. “You should know better than to address your MONARCH in such a tone!” Daniel didn’t even get to the end of his sentence before he himself burst out laughing. 

Jo wiped tears from his eyes, facing Daniel “I was going to ask if you were an actual prince, but it seems you answered for me!” he grinned. Dan noticed his seemingly regular brown eyes that seemed to have a purple tint and his seemingly regular black hair. What was his colour? What what his special colour? 

Hosuh had noticed his empty plate and slide his very much full plate over at Daniel, who gaped at Hosuh and without hesitation began to scoff his food down.

“Hosuh! Why did you refuse my mother’s own home cooked breakfast! She spent hours cooking that this morning!” Jay scolded, and Dan couldn’t help but notice a slight hint of the coldness that he had seen in Jay when threatened him so he wouldn’t tell anyone about their little hiding place. He stopped eating, eyes wide and a guilty expression strewn across his face. 

Hosuh flushed and began to apologise profusely, to which Jo responded with “It’s ok Hosuh! Jay’s just being mean.”He stood up and walked over to Hosuh, wrapping him in a hug, to which Hosuh chuckled. Jo looked up at Jay and stuck his tongue out, and Hosuh followed suit. Jay and Dan couldn’t help but smile at how incredibly cute it was. 

“Besides, it’s not Jay’s mom who cooks the food, you know. Usually we take it in turns because she’s cooped up in that lab of hers all the time” Jo added, to which Dan and Hosuh both breathed out a sigh of relief. Hosuh grinned, and began to talk about how he loved cooking, and food, and people who made food-

His ramble was cut short by the sound of the door of the dining hall slamming open, and a certain purple headed man swinging in and saying “I heard Dan yelling from the kitchen, about being the monarch? The king?” He laughed as he sat down.

“The king of what?” He gestured to the rest of the people on the table and said “we’re the only ones out here and you’re no king of ours!”. His voice held no malice, but it still struck a chord with Dan. He kept smiling as the rest of them continued to joke around at the table, but his mind was elsewhere. One thought stuck with him, even as he and the rest of them left the breakfast hall to continue on their day.

_Praise the king, what has he gotten himself into?_

The boys walked down the corridor and into the lawn outside the house. It was so different from Dan’s garden; it was simply a plain circle that outlined the ‘safe zone’ that these children had grown accustomed to. There were no flowers, no trees, no bushes. Just matted grass which was once the same colour as his hair, but had dimmed over time and after being trampled by kids. 

“So, how about a game of let’s not get caught in the outside world?” asked Stephen, his smirk fading when he saw Hosuh’s eyes go downcast. Jay shrugged and looked at Jo, who gave a nervous thumbs up. Dan had never seen him with Jay and Stephen before, so he came to the conclusion that he didn’t go out that much. Dan supposed he didn’t either. 

“Well, I mean do we really want to go out after yesterday? I heard you guys made quite the commotion.” Jo reasoned after some thought, which prompted a harsh groan from Jay, who’s eyes flashed with anger.

“Exactly! There might be other elementals who need out help! If we go out, save a few and come back here!” Jay argued, his hands making fists by his side. “After that stunt that princey pulled, they're going to be in more danger than before! We have to do something!”.

Their conversation attracted a few children onlookers, especially when Stephen stepped in and added: “Jo’s right. It’s too dangerous out there now. No should be going out today, or for a few more days.”As he said this, he walked over to Hosuh and took his hand, squeezing it softly. Dan had only known him for a few weeks - _praise the KING what was he doing_ \- but he saw from the almost concealed look of shock from Jo and the raised eyebrow from Jay that Stephen wasn’t the type to say no or…. comfort someone in that manner. 

“Stephen. Come on! Help me here! We need to do something!” Jay said with a threateningly low voice that sounded like a growl. His ice stare was matched by Stephen’s quick enough, until Jay relented as a shadow approached them.

“You fire types always did have a temper” Jay’s mom joked, walking up to the boys. Both fire elementals broke their gaze as she turned to Daniel.

“I need you and Hosuh please. You need a briefing before you boys go play a game of let’s not get caught in the outside world”. Her air quotes made Stephen grumble as Hosuh let go of his hand and walked towards her, Dan following. 

As the two walked into the house, Jo facepalmed and turned to the other two. 

“We were about to send them without their pills!” he exclaimed, earning a sigh from the other two boys. Jo was notorious for being addicted to those things.

\---

Hosuh was speechless. Jay’s mother’s laboratory was incredible. There were shelves upon shelves of various potions and books; he couldn’t help but wonder where it all came from. From steaming brewing stands to notes all over the floor to the many bottles, it still managed to have a homely feel to it. Hosuh usually felt anxious in cluttered spaces, but here it seemed peaceful.

He and Daniel had been standing in the lab for a free minutes before the eccentric woman returned from her room that was blocked off by a door on the other side of the lab. They were under strict instruction **not** to follow her or to peek into her room. Hosuh identified the similarities between her threatening tone and Jay’s quiet argument earlier on. _So the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree after all_.

After a while, Mary emerged from her room with two little bottles in her hand. One had a silver cover, much like Hosuh’s hair, and one had a vibrant green lid, just like Dan’s. It wasn’t hard to guess what these were; Stephen had told him all about the pills when his mohawk has faded into a purple and Hosuh enquired.

“Alright boys, here are your pills. I’ve coloured the lid so that they don’t get mixed up. It’s not great to mix different elemental pills” she said with a nervous laugh. “We had a kid who did that once…” at the drop of her voice the two boys looked at each other in alarm, to which Mary laughed and assured them that the said girl was fine, she just took a few weeks to get back on her feet. 

“These last for around 8 hours, but you can take pills while they’re still in effect so that they last longer. It’s very hard to overdose on these, but I swear that Jo is going to. As soon as he wakes up, he takes a pill. I’ve had to give him three replacements already! He’s a great help here in the lab, which is probably why you never saw him outside Daniel, but” as she rambled, Hosuh gazed at the bottle. He wondered if he could get some to Ann, but he wasn’t sure he could face the outside world again. The two weeks he spent in the castle dungeon were enough to scare the living daylights out of him. It also convinced him that he never wanted to go outside. Ever.

Daniel was listening intently to Mary’s rant, laughing and commenting every now and again. Hosuh couldn’t help but see him as a bit if a gossip, if he was being honest. He was shocked at the kindness of the ex-prince; he had never expected to be saved by him when their eyes met during his execution. He was grateful. Ann always said he was too trusting, but in this case? Not only had he risked everything for him, but Stephen and Jay trust him too. Who was he to judge?

“-and that’s all you need to know, really. Any questions?”

Hosuh’s head snapped up at Mary and he shook his head, as did Daniel. With that, they were sent out of the room into the hallway. Dan began babbling on about Jo and his pill addiction whilst he and Hosuh walked to the kitchen, where Dan said they had duty. 

_If you had been listening, you would know Hos!_

When they arrived, they found a handful of other kids, but no Jay, Jo or Stephen. Hosuh was about to turn to Dan to ask where they start, but he was suddenly facing a boy with dark brown hair and the same colour eyes. Hosuh took a second too long to realise that Dan had taken a pill whilst he was seeking out their friends, and Dan looked very very different without his colours. 

“What do you think?” Dan asked, posing and winking at a very amused Hosuh. Hosuh decided that he was going to do the same. After taking the pill, there was a brief second of nausea, though he pinned it down to the fact he hadn’t eaten for over a day. Dan was there to catch him when he swayed a bit, looking concerned but then his eyes lit up as he saw Hosuh’s own transformation.

His gray hair had faded into a lighter brown than Daniel’s, but his eyes were a pitch black, a bit like Jo’s hair. Dan said it looked good on him, which he flicked his hair and posed just like Dan did.

They made their way into the kitchen, Hosuh grabbing a rubber band on the way in to tie up his messy hair. He and Dan walked over to an empty sink and began to wash the dishes piled up on the side.

As he washed the plates, he felt the water surround his hands, and for once the power that would course through his veins felt suppressed. He yearned to make dolphins dance then collapse midway (he was never really good at creating cute things, more dramatic was his style) or to create boats that fell over from a tidal wave.

He didn’t like it. Not one bit.

“So Hos, what do you do for fun?”

The line came out of nowhere, and Hosuh took a bit too long to respond. It was obvious that Daniel was worried for him.

“Well, I liked to draw. I also liked to practice my powers with my mom…” his face softened into a smile as he continued.

“She told me never to be afraid, you know? Ann and I had complimenting powers we would put on shows for our mom and dad. Ann was always better than I was; it took so much practice to get where I am. Maybe that’s why I’m always - well was always - going around and flaunting them. Ann’s smarter than that.”

There was a hardened resolve in Hosuh as he said the last few words, his smile becoming a scowl almost. Ann was going to be ok. She’s going to be ok because she’s smarter and better controlled and won’t make stupid mistakes. 

Dan was awkwardly glancing from Hosuh to his dishes, wondering if he was going to talk more or add. After a while, he got a random idea.

“By the way…”

Hosuh looked up again, almost humoured by the sudden change in tone.

“What would you do if you were the last man on earth?”

—-

Jo had never run so fast in his life. As he crawled through the hole with a panting Jay and Stephen, his life was still flashing before his eyes. _This is why he never went outside! The one time he does, they get chased through the streets because Stephen went wild!_

Jay was ahead of the two, leading the way. Stephen was behind Jo, putting as much distance between the two fire elementals as he could. They were so mad at each other, and if Stephen hadn’t knocked over that barrel of oil to disguise the fact that HE was the one who set the whole place ablaze, the guards would have known there were elementals about.

Jo was scowling, and he couldn’t see the other’s faces, but he could just feel the tension coming off them from the walls of the tunnel.

“Stephen. You’re fucking MAD AND I LOVE IT!” hollered Jay, starling both Jo and Stephen but earning a laugh from Stephen. Though Jo had known him for a few years, he could never understand how such a psychotic man could have such an adorable laugh.

“Well you know how I get Jay. Besides, the girl on the podium looked an awful lot like the description Hosuh gave me of his sister, and it just makes my blood boil how someone as precious and soft as him could ever get hurt like that!” Stephen said in response. Jo was still in shock at the fact that the two boys weren’t mad at each other, but he found this the perfect opportunity to poke a little at Stephen.

“Say, Stephen, I saw you taking his hand earlier. Since you bravely swept him away from his life, you’ve gotten pretty close to one anoth- OW!” his teasing tone was cut short by a swift burn from Stephen on his leg. Jay laughed and Stephen was radiating annoyance. Luckily for them, they had reached the end of the tunnel and had emerged out of the hole.

“Aw, you guys had all the fun without us?” asked Hosuh as he and Dan approached the three oncoming guys. His face became worried as he took in their slightly battered bodies, with constellations of scratches on Stephen and a few bruises on Jo and Jay. They didn’t seem bothered though, and approached them with their all-too-familiar air of confidence.

“Hardly, it’s a mess out there!” yelled Jo. There was a reason he didn’t usually go out into the kingdom: he couldn’t bear to see the executions and was paranoid of being caught himself. “They’re killing them in groups now. It’s crazy!”.

The boys stared blankly at him, shifting their feet every now and again. _Way to kill the mood, Joseph_ he scolded to himself.

\---

Hosuh couldn’t sleep that night. He and Dan had spent hours playing that game of his, with the scenarios, and for that moment he felt at peace. And he was having fun with Dan, he really was. Even though they had known each other for only a day or so, they got along really well.

But Hosuh was upset now. Killing in groups? He was afraid for the people outside this little safety zone. He was afraid incase the policies got worse. And most of all, he was scared for Ann. He wanted her to be ok, so desperately wanted her to be ok. But he was unsure. Earlier he had tried to convince himself that Ann would be ok, but when Stephen told him about his sister’s look alike at the hanging post, he wasn’t so sure anymore.

He was in a bedroom with Dan, his bed being on the opposite side of the room. It had taken Dan forever to get to sleep, constantly tossing and turning, complaining that these beds were too small. Hosuh had replied that not everyone had slept in a bed fit for a king, which earned him a pillow to the head. 

He had waited for Daniel to fall asleep before he gently threw off his covers and, grabbing his pills, snuck out the room. It wasn’t hard for him to stay awake; he didn’t sleep that much before the guards took him anyways. 

He closed the door quietly and tiptoed down the hair, dry swallowing his pill in the process. He managed to make it down the stairs and out into the living room before he felt a rough hand grab his shoulder and turn him around. His now black eyes stared fearfully into lavender ones.

“Hosuh?” enquired Stephen with a harsh whisper, not letting go of his shoulder. Hosuh’s pill hadn’t worn off before Stephen, Jo and Jay got back, so it was easy to recognize him. “What the actual heck do you think you’re doing?”.

Hosuh gulped and looked up at Stephen, whose face was quite close to his. He was at a loss for words, stuttering and shaking at the intimacy of the moment. Smiling nervously, he tried to explain himself.

“I’m… getting a snack?”

Stephen scoffed and tried to drag Hosuh back to his room, but Hosuh stepped away with enough force to shock both Stephen and himself.

“Don’t try to stop me Stephen, please.” he pleaded, his voice breaking. He hated how pitiful it sounded.

“I need to find her, and make sure she’s ok. The guards may have come to my house and taken her, or she could be looking for me, or- I don’t know!” he felt tears rolling down his cheeks as he continued “I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

Stephen looked down at him, contemplating what just happened. It felt a bit awkward, really, until Stephen uncharacteristically used his thumb to wipe Hosuh’s cheek and tilted his head up to face him.

“Alright Hos. But I’m coming with you.” he smirked in his classic Stephen fashion when Hosuh looked up at him, stunned. “What? You thought I’d let you go out there all alone? No offense Hosuh, but you’d get absolutely trashed out there. And lost.”

Hosuh wasn’t in the mood to argue. He grabbed a cloak for him and Ann (Stephen seems to be able to grab one out of thin air), gathered his wits and left with Stephen down the hole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this is two days late!! Please accept my longer chapter and my Voltron refernce as an apology! I really am sorry, and I'll try and make sure it doesn't happen again. The end of the year always is the busiest!!!
> 
> Please please PLEASE comment and give some feedback! Thank you so so much for all your lovely comments and kudos thus far; you guys keep this story going!
> 
> Until next time folks~


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back at the palace, the King is lonely as ever. He has so much to do and hasn't seen his son in a while, not that he really spent much time with him anyways. After a moment of greif, some information reaches him that causes his world to shatter. How had he not realised this sooner?!

There was another 300 forms to sign and then a royal dinner he had to attend afterwards. The King looked wearily over at his desk from his bed, groaning at the sheer amount of work that he had to do still. Damn, he couldn’t wait to retire. 

Where was that child of his? He hadn’t seen him recently, but then again he never saw his child that much anymore. Not since…

A flash of anger ripped through him as he threw the glass of wine he was holding in his hand across the room, shattering in and staining the targeted tapestry. His eyes wide and his chest heaving, he looked up at the now ruined art that hung on his wall. His breathing softened as he barely held back a sob as his eyes slowly rose to meet it.

It was an old one; the King could barely remember being seated down with his restless two year old and giggling wife as the royal artist tried their best to settle them into a position he could sketch then sow. 

“Hold still!” growled the king, aiming his aggression at Daniel. He was currently babbling at the exasperated artist who was impressively keeping his cool. His wife’s expression hardened as she put a hand on his, immediately softening him. She had that power someone, as if she was connected to all living things and could calm them at her will. 

“Calm down, he’s not hurting anyone.” she said softly, smiling fondly at the now dancing Daniel, who was twirling around. His wild green hair flew around like grass on a windy field, and it was growing more vibrant like his mother’s every passing day.

“Dan! Settle down love, we need to get this done” the aforementioned woman called, causing Dan to stop his little dance and look over at her with those emerald eyes. It was at that moment that the King realised how alike those two were. He was taken aback for a bit, and wasn’t listening to the small argument that was brewing.

He had met his wife when she was young and carefree. She had become much more mature, both in mannerisms and looks, as she grew older, but she kept that childlike wonder and nature throughout her development. Perhaps that is what attracted him to her; growing up in the dreary castle with a father and mother both seemingly carved of stone made him crave excitement. He hated that he had become what his father had: a stern, cold man.

The monarch relaxed his shoulders slightly as he heard his family’s laughter ringing out. He grinned as he watched Dan do a headstand and even chuckled slightly as his wife grabbed his arm in mock annoyance and dragged him into her lap. The tapestry sketcher saw this as an opportunity to finally get the image he wanted and started quickly sketching the scene. The king looked at his wife and smiled.

Perhaps the reason why the artists was in such a rush was because this snapshot of time was unique. The king was smiling and his son was well behaved. The queen, with the prince on her lap and protected in her arms, had her shoulders draped with the King’s arm. It was almost considered too informal.

It was one of the few times the King really remembered them as a family.

He sighed as he noticed the now red chest of his son, the wine spread across it like a blooming flower or like a gushing wound. He rolled his eyes at the stark differences of description; his wife’s ability to see the beauty in everything had worn off on him.

The bed dipped under him as he got up and the carpets padded his feet as he went back to his desk. His eyes scanned the various papers on his desk then flickered to the new arrivals sections.

_Prince Daniel Aids Elemental Escape?_

_Tragic Scene at Downtown as Execution Goes Wrong!_

_Have the Flames If Revolution Finally Ignited With the Prince Holding the Torch?_

The King took a few breaths before he let out a yell that was only comparable to a war cry.

——

Shai was pacing the chamber when the door slammed open. Pau, her right hand woman, rushed in and started panting. Alarmed, the captain of the guard ran up to her very distressed partner.

“Pau! What’s going on!” She demanded. Shai was a kind, seemingly sweet girl but had a reputation that evoked fear in anyone. That’s why she was put at the head of the royal guard. Despite being a woman, she had been at the top of all her training classes and was the only non-elemental to do so. Every other possible candidate was… eliminated.

“The king… he has a…. misssion….” Pau heaved out, her dyed pink hair in her face as he bent over. Pau also had a formidable record - she was originally a castle spy until she was chosen by Shai to work alongside her.

Shai raised an eyebrow at her companion as she began to collect herself. She supposed it had something to do with that tantrum the king had thrown earlier.

“It’s the prince. The king wants us to find him and bring him back home. Alive.” Pau straightened up and looked a lot more professional as she continued:

“He just recently got news of his son’s involvement in that execution and he approved the decision of group killings that his Duke implemented. If you ask me, he spends too much time in his room; he doesn’t spend any time with his son and he’s oblivious to the fact that Duke is trying to kill him off-“

“What was the name of that elemental again? The one he saved?” Shai asked, cutting Pau off. As brilliant as she was, Pau was also notorious for letting her mouth take over.

“Oh- Hosuh Lee, I think it was? He was a water one. Has a sibling, but she and the rest of his family has no recorded cases of-“

“Tell Ivu to grab Jay, Jamie, Rei, Bella and ask Joanne to find the address of his parents and sister. Tell them it’s a strictly recon mission ONLY. If we know anything, that Prince is impulsive and that Hosuh boy will be wanting to say goodbye. Maybe get Mona to be on the watch of the premises and call them when they arrive? Yes, get Mona to do that. We don’t want to engage until we know what those two are capable of.”

Pau grabbed a piece of paper and began note taking. She looked up at Shai and inquired “And if they don’t show up?”

Shai flashed a wicked grin at her, and simply stated “oh they will.” Pau just shrugged and continued writing down the plan and what she needed to do; Shai was a genius when it came to this. Only she would think of a plan that quickly.

After Pau finished scribbling down the notes, she sal to Shai and left the room promptly. Shai sighed and sat down. She couldn’t help but feel bad. She didn’t necessarily agree with the elemental discrimination, but what could she do? This was her job and her livelihood.

She put on a red cape as she exited the chamber. She needed to get herself and the others ready.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am aware this is short. I am aware this is late. I'm so sorry about that, I really am. But! I wanted to make this a bit like a novel, and I know they have fluctuating lengths of chapters. The whole point of this one is to build suspense and to formally intrduce the opposition and 'bad guys' of this novel. My english teacher taught me that short and snappy syntax and chapters do that? Besides... a few weeks from now is a new decade and maybe an extra long chapter in the new year will make up for it?
> 
> Please give some feedback and thank you again so much for your support. Until next time!


	5. NOT A CHAPTER SORRY :(

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> :(

Hi guys,

I'm sorry this isn't a chapter - I was wondering if there's still any interest in this fic and whether I should continue it or not. This year has been so draining and I'm so much busier now I'm in college but I feel as though if I were to pick this up again it would be a welcome distraction - I just need to know if anyone out there would actually want to continue reading this. I also don't know whether I would still take the stosuh and jaydan route with all thing considered, so please let me know if you do want to continue reading whetehr that would be a good idea or not.

Hope you are all safe and well x

**Author's Note:**

> Please go subscribe to DanPlan on Youtube! They deserve it!


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